Hate the format (which he's now using), hate the sarcasm and flippancy, hate the complexity of new stats - all of that I understand, even if I don't personally agree. But for heaven's sakes, get off the notion that baseball bloggers and people who like VORP, Win Shares, etc. don't enjoy watching the game of baseball! WE DO! We like watching a diving catch in the outfield. We like seeing a guy stretch a double into a triple. We like watching a suicide squeeze (well, I do anyway).
OK, I know that's been said before but I had to get that out there. Whew, I feel better now. Thanks guys.
This always happens: some old-timers don't understand new things and rail against them rather than try to learn and understand. In some ways it's forgivable: as the brain ages, it has a harder time breaking down new concepts and learning new things.
Now the old-timers gather on HBO to gripe about bloggers. A generation ago they were in print, bitter about the superficial crap on TV.
As brutal as this sounds, the same thing will happen that always does: the bitter old ones die out, and what was once new and scary becomes an accepted part of society.
No doubt when I'm Chass's age I'll be shouting at my grandkids about brain implants or something.
What strikes me as sad about it is that this is a guy, with a million years covering baseball, who has dedicated a good portion of his content thus far (at least, most of the About page) to reminding us that he doesn't like blogs.
I mean, as for the opinion itself, I think it fails to understand what a blog is, but other than that, live free, baby. Hate what you want, etc.
I just can't shake the feeling that if Chass is this hung up over the writing of people he doesn't know, nor has to read, how will he be able to sustain a web-based collection of baseball columns that will be at all pleasurable for the reader?
Out of morbid curiosity, I've added him to my RSS feed, but I'm admittedly apprehensive about his ability to stick to worthwhile subject matter.
I didn't read the Chass link nor Craig's comments nor the commentors' comments. The reason I read none of it is that I am sick of it. Bored with it also. We in the blogosphere ( don't know if I'm part of it or not, I'm a recovering blogger but an active commentor ) are never more vocal than when the evil "MSM" speaks ill of us or disagrees with us. We are an envy filled lot. Let's take ourselves a little less seriously. We are a relatively ( in terms of baseball geeks only ) small community with little influence. Yes there are exceptions, some who have graduated to the "MSM" but overwhelmingly it's our own little tree fort.
Craig, I still love you. There is probably some keyboard shorthand for a hug but I haven't a clue what it is. Hugs, Pete.
PS. There's no friggin baseball ( even the CanAm League team is out of town ) so what else is there to do?
damn, I wish he had an Email link where we could welcome him to the world of blogging
ReplyDeleteangry......angry old man.....
ReplyDeleteAPBA Guy-
ReplyDeleteHmm. What other old man currently in the public eye believes he knows it all and there is nothing new worth learning? Maybe they can form a club.
Isn't that club called a cemetary?
ReplyDeleteHate the format (which he's now using), hate the sarcasm and flippancy, hate the complexity of new stats - all of that I understand, even if I don't personally agree. But for heaven's sakes, get off the notion that baseball bloggers and people who like VORP, Win Shares, etc. don't enjoy watching the game of baseball! WE DO! We like watching a diving catch in the outfield. We like seeing a guy stretch a double into a triple. We like watching a suicide squeeze (well, I do anyway).
ReplyDeleteOK, I know that's been said before but I had to get that out there. Whew, I feel better now. Thanks guys.
Actually, there is an email address, dre:
ReplyDeletemurraychass@murraychass.com
His name at the bottom of each page is an email link. He just doesn't know enough to design his page to make that clear.
This always happens: some old-timers don't understand new things and rail against them rather than try to learn and understand. In some ways it's forgivable: as the brain ages, it has a harder time breaking down new concepts and learning new things.
ReplyDeleteNow the old-timers gather on HBO to gripe about bloggers. A generation ago they were in print, bitter about the superficial crap on TV.
As brutal as this sounds, the same thing will happen that always does: the bitter old ones die out, and what was once new and scary becomes an accepted part of society.
No doubt when I'm Chass's age I'll be shouting at my grandkids about brain implants or something.
At least he omitted any reference to bloggers living in mommy's basement. Maybe even Chass realizes that old stereotype is a thing of the past.
ReplyDeleteWhat strikes me as sad about it is that this is a guy, with a million years covering baseball, who has dedicated a good portion of his content thus far (at least, most of the About page) to reminding us that he doesn't like blogs.
ReplyDeleteI mean, as for the opinion itself, I think it fails to understand what a blog is, but other than that, live free, baby. Hate what you want, etc.
I just can't shake the feeling that if Chass is this hung up over the writing of people he doesn't know, nor has to read, how will he be able to sustain a web-based collection of baseball columns that will be at all pleasurable for the reader?
Out of morbid curiosity, I've added him to my RSS feed, but I'm admittedly apprehensive about his ability to stick to worthwhile subject matter.
Ok, I'll be the apostate here.
ReplyDeleteI didn't read the Chass link nor Craig's comments nor the commentors' comments. The reason I read none of it is that I am sick of it. Bored with it also. We in the blogosphere ( don't know if I'm part of it or not, I'm a recovering blogger but an active commentor ) are never more vocal than when the evil "MSM" speaks ill of us or disagrees with us. We are an envy filled lot. Let's take ourselves a little less seriously. We are a relatively ( in terms of baseball geeks only ) small community with little influence. Yes there are exceptions, some who have graduated to the "MSM" but overwhelmingly it's our own little tree fort.
Craig, I still love you. There is probably some keyboard shorthand for a hug but I haven't a clue what it is. Hugs, Pete.
PS. There's no friggin baseball ( even the CanAm League team is out of town ) so what else is there to do?
Look, there's two types of people I hate. People who are intolerant of other people's preferred modicum of sports journalism...and bloggers.
ReplyDelete"One thing I can't stand, it's them self-hating bloggers."
ReplyDelete